Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Canada will seek to play a larger role on the world stage as the US retreats, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday, in remarks underscoring strains between Washington and its closest allies. Freeland spoke in the wake of recent NATO and G7 summits. Freeland, noting that “international relationships that had seemed immutable for 70 years are being called into question,” stressed the value of bilateral ties with the US, traditionally seen as Canada’s closest friend. She also made clear those bonds might loosen. “The fact that our friend and ally has come to question the very worth of its mantle of global leadership, puts into sharper focus the need for the rest of us to set our own clear and sovereign course,” she said in an address to parliament outlining her foreign policy vision. Media agencies